First day of TTOTM

kimyenchu

Cathlete
Hello everyone,

Can I ask a personal question here? I was wondering if many of you exercise straight through TTOTM? I mean, do you not feel that the first is just sooooo exhausting and cannot get out of bed let alone haul 20kg+ over your shoulders to do leg squats? I just cannot seem to get a work out in if I am on, the first day is always the worst - as much as the mind is willing, the body just will not move.

Do you mostly take a day or two off? Or do you find that continuing with exercise will help you get through it?

Yen
 
I do exercise all during Aunt Flo's visit; I'm a little goofy in that the part that gets me the most fatigued is the Pre-TTOTM period. The actual "visit" is never a problem. I'm always able to get thru my workouts and sets, but I don't have that good clean zap feeling that I usually do.

I think the conventional wisdom is that exercise does indeed help with all menstrual symptoms including premenstural symptoms. For me, I truly believe one thing that helps me enormously is that I'm skilled at water training; the hydrostatic pressure of water and the cooling effect help me to feel less bloated and clotted up. (I teach two aqua classes per week.) You may want to select workouts that don't push you to your absolute limit, and you may want to include more extended warm-ups and stretches at the end.

Just my $.02 -

A-jock
 
I also just ignore it. If I feel bad, I know I'll feel better after the workout, both physically and psychologically. One day 1 I just make sure I use heavy-duty "shovables" right before the workout.
 
Hi Yen,
I too workout right through it. Exercise does help me feel better and it seems lighter since I started exercising harder.

Joanne
 
Most of the time, I'm really tired the first day or two, so I give myself a break and don't do intense exercise for that first or second day (I also tend to sleep longer). I will optionally do a lighter workout, sometimes something I haven't done for a while. With everything, I try to keep my stress level at a certain point, and I find that fatigue and a heavy workout don't go well together. I'm feeling a bit anxioux right now, however, because I haven't exercised in 3 days because of accumulation of PMS tiredness and pre-finals week preparation stress. Since I've been getting in my 5-6 days of workouts quite regularly for quite a while, I know I shouldn't worry too much about it, but you know how it is when you start marking one more "off" day than usual on your workout calendar.
 
I too work out straight through it. I just use "extra" protection on days 1 and 2, and of course jump right in the shower after my workout so it doesn't phase me one way or the other.
It's more of a mental drag than a physical one!

Donna
Fitness~ it's a journey, not a race!
 
Hi Yen, I just stay in bed the whole time with a heating pad and chocolate! Working out is the last thing on my mind!
Cookiebaby
 
If they are heavy (i.e. lots of blood) I can work out strangely it really helps.

If they are light no because I am in soo much pain (again strangely).

Weight training I find okay, cardio harder (I'm low in iron normally) but ab workouts are great as they help with cramps.

Babs
 
Yen - for me it depends on the month. Sometimes I get it so bad (not PMS, it's really more DURING MS) that I can barely gather the energy to put the dvd in the player. Tired, back achey, headachey, you name it. Some months I just have cramps and those I can work through, I find the exercise helps with the pain (but then again so does ibuprofen). I do think if it's bad enough, it may be best to just rest up.
 
Hi Yen,

I always exercise through my TTOTM, it helps to shorten the length of it, and makes it less painful.

anna :)
 
The intensity varies for me. When I have a bad month I really feel achy in my joints, especially my hips and knees. I'm sure it is the hormones loosening the ligaments and etc. (just read a news brief in newsweek that hormones is the reason why women have more ACL tears then men) Anyway, those months I do really easy workouts. Other months I forge ahead with toughies. I guess I try to listen to my body.
-joy
 
I MUST workout during this time or I am truly a force to be reconned with! It helps me mentally so much! My periods seem to make me very tired and exercising helps me keep going. Its not always comfortable and I tend to B**** about it more but yet I have to do it! All the best! Susan
 
For me it is the exact day 1 week before it "strikes" that is the worst...if I check my journal, I always have a really "weak" day one week before TTOM. If it's a run, it's always a really hard to complete run, if it's a weight day. I always find I have to lighten up a bit or struggle through.

while I have it, though, it doesn't make any difference to my workouts, but I defintely sleep more.

Christine
 
>while I have it, though, it
>doesn't make any difference to
>my workouts, but I defintely
>sleep more.

Me too. I would really like a few days off work at TTOTM: yesterday I didn't get out of bed till 11.00am.

Yen
 

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